Some Progesterone Creams are NOT Good

by Peter Eckhart, MD

If you do not use the Correct Progesterone Cream, then your Restless Leg Syndrome will NOT resolve.

Virtually all Natural Progesterone is made from yams or soy. Soy and Yams contain a diosgenin which is a molecule that is the raw material to make progesterone. You should take 20-60 mg/day of progesterone. The amount of progesterone that is right for you is different for everyone. Your particular dose may depend on weight, absorption, excretion, and other things that you are putting on your skin. So experiment with the dose and find out what dose is right for you.

No Mineral Oil

The progesterone cream should NOT have any mineral oil. Mineral oil blocks the absorption of progesterone on the skin. The Progesterone Cream should contain vegetable oil or animal oil instead. The correct dosage should be 500 mg/oz - 1000 mg/oz of progesterone.

The progesterone cream should NOT contain Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Butyl Paraben or any of the related Parabens as those are estrogenic. The progesterone cream should NOT contain phenoxyethanol - another estrogenic preservative. These preservatives will many times make your breast cyst worse. It should not contain certain estrogenic herbs. It should not contain stearal konium chloride since that is toxic.

What should I look for in a Therapeutic Progesterone for Restless Leg Syndrome?

No Yam Extract

Many of the companies tout that their progesterone is made from yams or soy. However, all progesterone is made from yams or soy. Yams or soy is the starting mater that is the most economical way to make progesterone. These plants contain a disogenin. The disogenin is the base raw molecule for progesterone. In the factory to make progesterone some parts of the diosgenin are cleaved off and progesterone is the result.

Yam extract, a diosgenin, is not Natural Progesterone. Some skin creams claim that they contain a yam extract. According to Dr. Lee, these creams do NOT work for Estrogen Dominant Diseases such as Restless Leg Syndrome. Disogenin from yam extract does seem to give patients an increase in energy. But, the human body does NOT have the enzymes available to convert diosgenin to progesterone or estrogen for that matter. Disogenin can NOT be converted to estrogen or progesterone by the human body. Thus, the Yam Extract or diosgenin will NOT get gid of Restless Leg Syndrome.

No Stearal Konium Chloride

Some Skin Creams of supposedly "Health Food" store fame contained toxic chemcials. Be careful of toxic compounds in the skin cream. Much to my horror, one progesterone cream that we were recommending to my patients had Stearal Konium Chloride, an emulsifier. According to the 1998 University of Texas Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) database ingestion of 3 cc of Stearal Konium Chloride causes fatal convulsions in an adult human.

No Estrogenic Herbs

Some herbs used in the progesterone skin cream. Once again we used a skin cream on some of our post menopausal patients that caused their fibroid to get bigger. We found that the company had used some herbs that were estrogenic in nature (sage and rosemary). I found out later that rosemary is used by folk medicine to create a miscarriage. Anything that is used to create a miscarriage is ANTI-progesterone.

Say NO to Some Preservatives

Professor Sumpter in the U.K. discovered that Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, and Butyl Paraben pretend to estrogen and stimulate the estrogen receptor. His research was so disturbing that the European Union inquired of the European Cosmetics and Toiletry Association whether these common preservatives would increase the rate of breast cancer. The vast majority of shampoos, hand lotions and gels contain this preservative. We found that many Natural Progesterone creams contained this preservative as well. The parabens seem to be associated with cramping and worsening of endometriosis. Frequently cutting out all parabens makes menstrual cramping disappear. Manufacturers of Progesterone Cream are beginning to use phenoxyethanol another estrogenic preservative. The use of progesterone creams with these estrogenic preservatives many times makes Restless Leg Syndrome worse.

Correct Dose of Natural Progesterone for Restless Leg Syndrome

The correct dose of progesterone in the skin cream is 500 mg/oz -1000 mg/oz. Initially, you can load your body with 40-60 mg/day for Restless Leg Syndrome for the first 2-3 months from days 12-26 (where day 1 is the first day of your period. If you do NOT want to conceive, you may use the Progesterone Cream whenever you do not have a period.

Then, usually 20 mg/day is enough to maintain healthy Restless Leg Syndrome legs. Some patients that are very diligent about getting rid of xenoestrogens and phytoestrogens on the skin will not even need the Progesterone after a couple of months. Remember to concentrate on what touches the skin. Even laundry detergent is very important. Anything that goes on top the skin is 10 times the potency of what goes in the mouth orally. 90% of what goes on the skin is first pass metabolized by the liver and is eaten up.

In general, the ovary produces 20 mg/day of progesterone, and the placenta produces 400 mg/day of progesterone at the height of pregnancy. Thus, the therapeutic range of progesterone is quite large. Progesterone is quite safe. Safer than aspirin.

If the dose of progesterone is too low there is no clinical effect. If the dose is too high then the patients experience shortness of breath. If the dose is too high, the patients may experience an emotional depression when the progesterone is stopped. This is what causes post partum depression. The woman goes from producing 400 mg/day of progesterone to zero after delivering the placenta. If the dose is too high the patient may also experience sleepiness. If sleepiness or being too happy is the case, then simply cut back the dose. In extreme cases, when the progesterone was 2,800 mg/oz, we have heard of some patients becoming mentally confused. The mental confusion was reversed when the patients stopped taking the cream for several months.

Here is one vendor that we like:

Progesterone Cream from Women's Therapeutic Institute

Progesterone Cream Alternative Site

The Bottom Line

Summary - Choose Progesterone for Restless Leg Syndrome Wisely

• Avoid parabens. Avoid phenoxyethanol.
• Get the correct concentration 500 mg/oz -1000 mg/oz. Some creams have less than 20 mg/oz!
• Avoid estrogenic herbs.
• Avoid mineral oil.
• Avoid Stearal Konium Chloride.
• Use Natural Progesterone, Not Yam Extract.

There is a list of progesterone creams found in What Your Doctor May Not Tell Your About Menopause by John Lee, M.D. by concentration. There may be other ingredients to avoid, the above may only be a partial list. You will have to screen them further to avoid the above ingredients. Choose your Progesterone Cream Carefully!

Buy Natural Progesterone!

About xenoestrogens (pretends to be estrogen)

• No Breast cyst .com
• TIME
• Colborn